City of Memphis Mayor: Powers, Elections, and Removal

The City of Memphis mayor is Paul Young, who took office on January 1, 2024. The job runs Tennessee’s largest municipal government under a strong-mayor charter, pays $227,500 a year, and is capped at two consecutive four-year terms.¹²

What the Mayor Controls

Memphis uses a strong-mayor structure. The mayor holds real executive authority over city operations, and the city council serves as the legislative check.³ The Executive Division sets priorities and operating guidelines for every department in city government.⁴

Three powers do most of the work of the office. The mayor appoints the directors who lead each principal administrative division, though a majority of the council must approve those appointments. The mayor holds sole contracting authority for the city, which puts direct control over public spending in the office. And the mayor can veto council ordinances, with a supermajority council vote required to override.³

Budget preparation is the most consequential annual task. The mayor’s office assembles the operating and capital improvement budgets that allocate hundreds of millions of dollars across city services before the fiscal year starts July 1. The council then reviews and votes, but the mayor sets the framework.

Public safety sits under the executive branch. The Memphis Police Department, Memphis Fire Department, and Division of Public Works all report upward to the mayor, who shapes hiring standards, strategy, and resources across them. The office also appoints board members to major agencies, including Memphis Light, Gas and Water and the Memphis Area Transit Authority.³

How Someone Becomes Mayor of Memphis

Memphis voters approved Referendum Ordinance No. 5913 in November 2024, replacing the prior qualification rules in the city charter. The passing margin was close to 90%. A candidate now needs only to be at least 18 years old, a bona fide Memphis resident for at least two years before the election date, and free of conflicts: no other public office at the time of election, and no direct or indirect involvement in any contract with the city.⁵

The residency requirement runs through the full term, not just election day. A sitting mayor who moves outside the city can trigger vacancy proceedings under the charter and Tennessee law.

Separately, Tennessee’s disqualification statute bars anyone convicted of an “infamous crime” in Tennessee, or an equivalent offense elsewhere, from holding public office until a court restores their citizenship rights.⁶

Elections and Term Limits

Mayoral elections run in odd-numbered years, separating them from presidential and congressional cycles. The most recent race was October 2023, and the next is scheduled for 2027. Races are nonpartisan, with no party labels on the ballot.

The winner is decided by plurality. There is no runoff. In 2023, Paul Young won a field of 17 candidates with roughly 28% of the vote. In crowded fields, that means a mayor can take office with support from a relatively small share of voters.

The mayor serves four years and is capped at two consecutive terms, for a maximum of eight years in a row. A 2022 ballot measure that would have stretched the cap to three consecutive terms was rejected by voters. After two consecutive terms, the officeholder cannot run again in the next cycle.

How a Mayor Can Be Removed

Tennessee’s ouster law covers state, county, and municipal officeholders, including the Memphis mayor. An officer can be removed for misconduct in office, willful neglect of legal duties, public intoxication, illegal gambling, or a crime involving moral turpitude.⁷ Courts treat ouster as a drastic remedy and generally spare officials who violated a rule out of genuine ignorance or honest error rather than willful disregard. The city attorney can investigate potential grounds and initiate proceedings.

A conviction for a serious crime connected to official duties is handled more harshly. The official is permanently disqualified from any public office in Tennessee, with no restoration available, and courts cannot accept a plea deal that would preserve a path back into office.⁶

How to Reach the Mayor’s Office

The Mayor’s Office is at 125 North Main Street, Room 700, Memphis, TN 38103. The Executive Division’s direct line is 901-636-6000 for matters that need to reach the mayor’s staff.⁴

For everyday service problems like missed trash pickups, potholes, or code violations, call 311 inside the city or 901-636-6500 from outside. Those calls feed the city’s tracking system, which routes complaints to the right department and logs them for follow-up.⁸

1
City of Memphis. Government Mayor
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City of Memphis. City of Memphis Employee Salaries – January 2025
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City of Memphis. Gov Guide – The City of Memphis
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City of Memphis. Executive – The City of Memphis
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City of Memphis. Ordinance to Amend Referendum Ordinance for Memphis Mayor and City Council Qualifications
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Justia Law. Tennessee Code 40-20-114 – Disqualification From Public Office
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Justia Law. Tennessee Code 8-47-101 – Officers Subject to Removal
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City of Memphis. Call 311